title: 15-week long school-based nutritional education program to promote Italian primary schoolchildren's fruit and vegetable intake.
abstract: A short-version (15-week long) of school-based nutrition education program called "Bring Fruit to School" to enhance primary schoolchildren's fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake was evaluated. We recruited 199 primary schoolchildren from 8 classes (grade 2-5). The primary end-point was an increase in the children's F&V intake. The intervention period lasted 15 weeks, and was divided into three phases: weeks 1-5, weeks 6-10 and weeks 11-15. The F&V intake of the schoolchildren was also monitored in a subsequent follow-up period (16th-32nd week). By week 15, 92 (46.2%, P < .001) schoolchildren increase fruit intake and 91 (45.7%, P < .001) increase vegetable intake. The F&V intake increased during the intervention period and was constant in follow-up. The BFtS program is an effective means to promote primary schoolchildren's F&V intake, and was implemented in Italy by the Food and Nutrition Service of Foggia's Local Health Authority. It could be extended to many other countries by local nutrition agencies, such as associations for nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Servizio di Igiene degli Alimenti e della Nutrizione, Asl Foggia. mpanunz@tiscali.it
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Panunzio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antoniciello
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Cela
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petracca
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bisceglia
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Buccinotti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Romagnolo
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: D'Aprile
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ugolini
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D005638:Fruit; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D013997:Time Factors; D014675:Vegetables